DIY Basketweave Snowflake Ornament with Woodsplint And Sweetgrass

Make a tree full of black ash woodsplint and sweetgrass snowflake ornaments for your holiday celebrations.

Materials

8 pieces black ash double satin woodsplint 3/8″ x 5¼”
sweetgrass for twining
cord for hanging finished ornament
Supplies
scissors
ruler
awl or WeaveRite™ tool

Procedure

Cut and Shape Spokes

Dampen woodsplint before cutting
Cut eight lengths of double satin (smooth both sides) woodsplint 5¼” long and 3/8″ wide for spokes
Narrow the centers of each spoke to 1/8″ for about 1″, then taper each end
Woven snowflake spoke diagram

Prepare Sweetgrass

Soak a small bundle of sweetgrass in water for a short time, wrap in a moist towel and allow to mellow before weaving

Spoke Layout

Layout the spokes in the sequence diagrammed below

Center Weaving

Fold a blade of sweetgrass near its center point and begin twining around the spokes
Add new blades of sweetgrass when necessary
Twine until the center measures 1¾” across
End twining by inserting the sweetgrass under previous weave to secure
Trim any ends

Turning Back The Points

Moisten the spoke ends
Turn back points of alternate spokes
Use an awl or WeaveRite™ tool to open up the weave
Carefully insert ends into the weaving on the back side

Finishing Details

Trim any stray ends
String your ornament

Tip

This ornament can be varied by cutting the spokes into different shapes giving you a variety of star and snowflake shapes
Dyed or natural raffia that has been split to a narrow width can be substituted for the sweetgrass
Dyed spokes and natural weavers are another option